Class of '64
March 2008

Dear Friends,

Your infamous class agents, Linda and Joanna, are inviting YOU to be a part of something we think will be both fun and rewarding. In just one more year and a few months, our college class will observe our 45th Reunion. Everyone knows we neither look nor act that “old,” still the math rules: 2009-1964 = 45. We want to make this a fantastic time for classmates to reconnect: renewing friendships, celebrating good times from our college years, and affirming each other in the years ahead.

Our goal is a Reunion Committee comprised of between 20-25 classmates and from a cross section of the class. We developed a list based on sensing your strong ties to Gustavus, maintaining contact with your classmates, your interests while a student, attendance at previous reunions, and just plain intuition. We think we are inviting you to participate in something uniquely rewarding: planning something meaningful and having a great deal of fun in the process.

Reunion Weekend has been set to coincide with commencement weekend, 2009 and will be held May 29th and 30th. All or most of it will be held on or near Gustavus. Details are left to the Reunion Committee’s Event subcommittee.

A significant goal for the reunion is to contact as many class members as possible. Other reunion classes succeeded in contacting over 80% of their class! Calling class members for class news and to encourage them to attend; writing or contributing to class letters; or working with email and internet may sound fun and interesting. With cell phones and email, classmates can easily call from anywhere. We hope some of you will love this idea and want to work on the communication angle.

Others love to plan events. Those living in or near St. Peter may have helpful insights into what would work well for a Great Get-Together. Others love to organize and have a wonderful sense of what creates a good time. Gustavus may help facilitate some of the big items if we want them (like lodging and food), still giving freedom for choices and events to each class. This group will have fun multiple times, as smaller planning meetings or communication turn into great Gustie gatherings. Email and cell phones simplify this too.

Our class can be proud that the 1964 Scholarship is now large enough to assist a Gustie. An important by-product of the reunion will be growing the scholarship. Some members of the class will like the challenge of increasing the scholarship and will work with calls and mailings to encourage giving with special emphasis to the scholarship.

We hope you’ll respond positively to our invitation. We’re convinced we’re offering you a project that is both fun and meaningful. You can email us at: artmama@yahoo.com and/or joswan05@yahoo.com. Kathy Erlandsen is the Gustavus representative who specializes in reunion planning and you can ask her questions at kerlands@gustavus.edu, by calling 507-933-6514 or toll free at 1-866-487-3863.

The first planning event will be a Reunion Planning Party Potluck at Linda’s in St. Louis Park (2700 Inglewood Avenue South) on Sunday, May 18, at 5:30 p.m. Another planning session will be held during the annual Volunteer Leadership day on campus, on Saturday, September 13, 2008. The last major meeting will be on Saturday, February 21, 2009 in the Twin Cities. Please give us a call if you are even thinking about this opportunity―we’d love to have your input and insight!